We're reconsidering the role of pilot watches in the modern era. This article republishes the "Praise for Pilot Watches" feature from Vol. 98 of Chronos Japan on webChronos. This article features interviews with actual pilots, focusing on their activities, the realities of their work, and how they confront time. The article features Ken Okohara, who works with Breitling to ensure the safety of the skies.
Photographs by Yu Mitamura
Yoko Koizumi: Interview and writing
Text by Yoko Koizumi
[Article published in the July 2022 issue of Kronos Japan]
Pilot's Interview 3: Ken Okohara
Ken Okohara started flying at the age of 39 and obtained his private pilot's license at the age of 45, and has been enjoying the skies ever since. He is currently the eighth president of AOPA-JAPAN, where he is responsible for ensuring aviation safety. He always has a Breitling watch on his left hand.
"I feel that the Navitimer's functions can be fully utilized precisely because it is a small aircraft."
Ken Okohara was a boy who loved drawing and precision machinery.
"When I was in sixth grade, a science magazine published by Gakken (now Gakken Holdings) ran a project to solicit ideas for 'aircraft of the future.' At the time, I was always thinking about V/STOL (vertical/short take-off and landing) aircraft, so I designed a small aircraft similar to the Osprey and submitted it."
The work was happily selected as the highest award, and as a reward the winner was a round-trip flight from Haneda to Itami Airport.
"The plane was a DC-6B, a four-engine propeller plane, and I can still vividly recall the puffs of smoke and the crackling noise."
This was in 1963, the year before the last Tokyo Olympics. However, as an adult, Okohara chose to pursue a career in engineering. After 25 years of dedication to his work, he came across Breitling.
"Breitlings are beautiful precision instruments, and you never tire of looking at them. The small scales and dials are irresistible for fans of mechanics," he says, full of praise. His first Breitling was a classic "Old Navitimer" in the late 80s. Then, in 90, the word "pilot" finally entered Okohara's life.
"A colleague at work said, 'Let's fly a plane, let's buy one.' I was totally persuaded (laughs). If I was going to fly a plane, I needed a pilot's license, so I decided to get one."
His first day of training was September 11th of the same year. After undergoing flight training with an instructor on board, he began solo flight training and had purchased a plane. With a pilot training permit, he was flying his private plane all over Japan.
"After I got my Breitling, I got my pilot's license and my life with airplanes began. So Breitling and airplanes go hand in hand. I don't fly every day, but if I have a Breitling, I can prove to myself, 'I'm flying!'"
His current favorite plane is a 1975 Cessna 182 Skylane, the interior of which he personally finished to the highest specifications.
"Recently, small aircraft have been replaced with glass cockpits (no analog instruments or lamps, everything is displayed on an LCD screen), but I prefer round meters. If the plane and clock are all analog, I can understand the structure and it makes me feel more at ease."
And he highly values the Navitimer's capabilities as a backup device.
"Even if all the instruments fail, the rotary slide rule on my left hand allows me to easily determine my speed from the flight time. I think that this high level of performance is the reason why it is still considered a 'professional model.' The simplicity of just turning the dial is wonderful, and the LCD display never disappears. In fact, it's precisely because it's a small aircraft that the Navitimer's true performance really shines."
Okohara is currently the chairman of AOPA-JAPAN, and one of the pillars of his activities is eliminating small aircraft accidents.
"Flying is always a life-risking experience. I've lost friends and had some scary experiences myself. But on the other hand, the exhilaration you can only experience in the sky is irreplaceable, and this contradictory appeal is the biggest reason why I fly. However, to enjoy that appeal to the fullest, ensuring safety comes first. Flying safely is the number one condition for making the future of small aircraft bigger than it is now, so that children can dream of becoming pilots, and so that even adults like me can make their dreams come true."
For that safety, Breitling is the companion that should be on your left hand.
*Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association/Japan Owners and Pilots Association
